Saturday, August 30, 2008

How To Use An Autoresponder To Promote Your Business

An AutoResponder is an essential tool to build any business online. The reason you go into business is to find and keep your customers. An autoresponder will make this job so much easier for you so you can work on marketing your business.


There is a bit of confusion around the online community surrounding autoresponders. Some people think they are a piece of software for loading email addresses into so you can then blast thousands upon thousands of people your message and promote your business.


Nothing could be further from the truth!

What they were designed for is to allow you to collect the details of visitors to your web page. The way you do this is by offering a gift in exchange for the person's name and email address. You can actually collect a large number of details but on the first visit you would not want to try to collect their home address as you may not have much luck.


When the visitor completes this form they are giving you consent to send them information about your business and to deliver the gift that you offered. An autoresponder is a tool that you can have up to several hundred pre-written messages stored to be delivered at pre-determined intervals. This is a great way to build a relationship with your future customers.

When someone opts into your list, usually they will receive a message immediately, then several more a day or two apart and gradually the messages will get further apart up until they are around 1 week between mailings.


You will then be able to follow up with broadcast messages every time you have a special offer for your list or some content to pass on. The sole purpose is to create and maintain interest in your prospect. Your list is your customer base just like in an offline business.


Lets look at some other ways autoresponders can be used.


1. Training- When a customer buys your product or joins your team you should be collecting their details. You will provide them instructions to use the product or train them to build their team if they have joined your business.


2. Recruiting Affiliates- If you sell a product you will find that your best affiliates will be a happy customer. After you collect the details of your customers you should be reminding them that you have an affiliate program and that they can make some extra money referring people to your website.


3. Delivering The Product- You can use the autoresponder to deliver the digital product. You can add attachments to the messages like any other email or simply send them a link to the download page. Directly after the payment page you will ask the customer to enter their details so they can get the product delivered and be kept up to date with software upgrades or whatever is applicable to your product.


4. Reduce Refunds/Returns- After collecting your new customers details you would send them at least one unadvertised bonus. This would not be mentioned in the sales page and means you would be 'over-delivering' on your product. Another method I have seen is offering extra bonus products at say 15 or 30 days after the sale. The autoresponder can handle this easily and your refund rate should plummet if you can create extra value in these bonus offers.


5. Promote Back End Products- It is a lot easier to make a sale to someone who has brought from you before. You have their trust and as long as you recommend good products that make their life easier or help them build their business this be the easiest way to maintain your income.


There are many more including collecting testimonials, checking up on your customers, surveying your customers and more. I am sure you would have just got your own idea after reading this article and are ready to get your own business on auto pilot by using an autoresponder.


If so, here's one that's a great value and has all the bells and whistles like the big boys do.

Click here to put your business on autopilot!

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